UFC fighters were allowed to showcase their nation’s flags during UFC Vegas 80. This comes a year after a ban was imposed on the act. Fighters were left disappointed with the ban, however, UFC CEO Dana White has announced that flags are back.
During the post-event press conference, White was inquired about what led to the decision of unbanning flags. White revealed that UFC Noche left a lasting impact.
“Yeah, flags are back. Yeah, I was on vacation um during the Mexican Independence Day and the ‘No Flag’ thing drove me crazy and I was like yeah f*ck that we’re bringing flags back… And Mexican Independence Day flipped the switch for me. I was like that’s enough. I’m done with the ‘No Flags’ so flags are back if any flags hurt your feelings too f*cking bad.”
Dana White confirms the flag ban is over in the UFC.
“If any flag hurts your feelings, too fuc*ing bad.” #UFCVegas80 #DanaWhite #MMATwitter #MMA pic.twitter.com/CUvBz8fgGZ
— MMA UNCENSORED (@MMAUNCENSORED1) October 8, 2023
UFC is a company which is known for its promotion of free speech. However, recently it has had multiple issues regarding the fighter’s right to express their feelings. From its rigid uniform policy to banning flags, the UFC did not do justice to free speech.
White has also claimed that he wants the fighters to keep religion out of the Octagon. Although, just like the sanction on flags has been lifted recently he changed his stance on fighters bringing religion into the Octagon.
UFC allegedly banned fighters from celebrating with flags because of the Russia-Ukraine war
The restriction on flags was a surprising move. The UFC even controversially ripped the Chinese flag away from fighter Li Jingliang. Upon inquiry, White did not give a straight answer to the media about it. During the post-UFC 274 press conference, he said, “You guys know why, Let’s not even play that f****ng game.”
Among the few speculated reasons for the ban, the one that stood out was the tensions between Russia and Ukraine. At the time of their political tension, various countries started imposing sanctions on Russia. UFC, on the other hand, has several Russian fighters on its payroll. Reports suggest that the American company took the safe path and banned all flags.
They ripped the Chinese flag away from Li Jingliang😭 pic.twitter.com/9kB5Dm3e1d
— 🌴ᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴏꜰᴡᴀʀ🌴 (@TheArtOfWar6) July 21, 2022
While reasoning his decision to unban flags at UFC Vegas 80, White said, “There’s a lot of things that go on in a company this big. You can’t micromanage everything. And sometimes things things are done for the intentions of the right reasons and and whatever. Everybody in this room knows the way that I feel about a lot of things. Basically, ‘I don’t give a f*ck’ is the answer to most things.
“Everybody’s too soft everybody’s too sensitive about everything and you know when the decision was made to do this I was just kind of like, ‘you know what’s the big deal if they don’t have flags?'”
It was a common thing for fighters to enter the Octagon or celebrate their wins with their national flags. Many fighters took pride in representing their nations. They will be happy with the latest decision.
